Touchless faucet

ABSTRACT

A touchless faucet includes a faucet body having a first compartment and a second compartment, where the second compartment has a mixing chamber for mixing fluid and a flow passage. The faucet also includes an aerator coupled to the faucet body and configured to receive fluid from the flow passage, a control board disposed in the first compartment, a solenoid disposed in the second compartment and communicatively coupled to the control board, and an IR sensor disposed in the first compartment for sensing a presence of a user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.63/026,989 filed May 19, 2020, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to faucet, and more particularlyto a touchless faucet for a lavatory.

BACKGROUND

Water is one of the necessary loads carried by an aircraft. Incommercial aviation, it is desirable to use the minimum amount, yet havesufficient water available to satisfy the requirements of the passengersand crew. A mechanical device can be provided that automatically closesa valve in a conduit supplying water to the faucet after a predeterminedperiod.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present application provides a touchless faucet having a faucet bodyhaving a first or electrical compartment and a second or fluidcompartment. The faucet includes at least one control board disposed inthe first compartment, an IR sensor disposed in the first compartmentand communicatively coupled to the at least one control board, and asolenoid disposed in the second compartment and communicatively coupledto the at least one control board.

According to an aspect, a touchless faucet is provided including afaucet body having a faucet body having a first compartment and a secondcompartment, at least one control board disposed in the firstcompartment, an IR sensor disposed in the first compartment andcommunicatively coupled to the at least one control board, and asolenoid disposed in the second compartment and communicatively coupledto the at least one control board, the solenoid having an inlet forreceiving fluid from a mixing chamber formed in the second compartmentand an outlet for delivering the fluid from the mixing chamber to anaerator, wherein the IR sensor is configured to sense a presence of auser, which is communicated to the at least one control board, and theat least one control board is configured to communicate the presence tothe solenoid to open the solenoid to allow fluid flow through the secondcompartment to the aerator.

According to another aspect, a touchless faucet is provided including afaucet body having a first compartment and a second compartment, thesecond compartment having a mixing chamber for mixing fluid and a flowpassage, an aerator coupled to the faucet body and configured to receivefluid from the flow passage, a control board disposed in the firstcompartment, a solenoid disposed in the second compartment andcommunicatively coupled to the control board, the solenoid having aninlet for receiving fluid from the mixing chamber and an outlet fordelivering the fluid from the mixing chamber to the flow passage, and anIR sensor disposed in the first compartment for sensing a presence of auser.

According to still another aspect, a method for operating a faucet isprovided that includes sensing a presence of a user via an IR sensordisposed in an electronics compartment in a faucet body of the faucet,communicating the presence of the user to a control board in theelectronics compartment, opening a solenoid disposed in a fluidcompartment in the faucet body via a command from the control board,delivering fluid from a mixing chamber in the fluid compartment into theopen solenoid, delivering fluid from the solenoid to a flow passage inthe fluid compartment, and delivering fluid from the flow passage to anaerator coupled to the faucet body.

The foregoing and other features of the application are described belowwith reference to the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view an exemplary faucet and attachmentstructure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the faucet.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the faucet.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective exploded view of the faucet.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of controls of the faucet.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the faucet taken about line 6-6 inFIG. 7 .

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the faucet.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view take about line 8-8 in FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of another exemplary faucet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The principles of the present application relate to a faucet, such as atouchless faucet for use in an aircraft lavatory, and thus will bedescribed below in this context. It will be appreciated that theprinciples of the application may be applicable to faucets and waterdelivery devices in other suitable locations, such as public restrooms,building lobbies, etc.

Turning now to FIGS. 1-4 , a faucet is shown generally at referencenumeral 10. The faucet 10 is a touchless faucet configured to attach toa structure 12, such as a panel or wall of an aircraft lavatory. Thestructure 12 includes or is attached to a pair of connectors 14 attachedto conduits to connect the faucet 10 to a fluid source, such as a hotand cold water source, and one or more openings 16 through which a cable18 extends to attach the faucet to a power source. It will beappreciated that the faucet may alternatively be designed to be deckmounted.

The faucet 10 includes a faucet body 20, a bottom cover 22 attached to abottom of the faucet body 20, and a rear cover 24 attached to a rear ofthe faucet body 20. The bottom cover 22 and rear cover 24 may beattached to the faucet body in a suitable manner, for example byfasteners 26 and 28 respectively received in respective openings. Thebottom cover 22 may be sealed to the faucet body 20 in a suitablemanner, for example by a gasket 30, and the rear cover 24 may be sealedto the structure 12 in a suitable manner, for example by gasket 32. Therear cover 24 is received in a recessed area 34 at the rear of thefaucet body 20 allowing the rear cover 24 to be substantially flush withthe rear of the faucet body 20. The recessed area 34 provides access tovarious ports discussed below, and the rear cover 24 serves to retainvarious components within the ports. A grommet 36 may be received inopenings in the rear cover 24 and the gasket 32 that surrounds the cable18. The faucet body 20, bottom cover 22, and rear cover 24 may be madeout of a suitable material, such as suitable plastic that provides forcorrosion resistance and weight savings for the faucet, such as apolyetherimide resin suitable for use with potable water, and thecomponents may be made in a suitable manner, such as by injectionmolding.

The faucet body 20 may include a first compartment 40 or electricalcompartment for receiving suitable controls, and a second compartment 42(FIG. 6 ) or fluid compartment defining a flow area that receives asolenoid 44 that is activated to deliver water, for example at a uniformtemperature to an aerator 46. The aerator 46 is attached to theunderside of the faucet body 20 and sealed in a suitable manner, such asby an O-ring 48. The first and second compartments 40 and 42 allow forthe electronics, solenoid, and mixing chamber to be located inside thefaucet body 20 rather than one or more components being positionedoutside the faucet body.

The faucet body 20 also includes, at the rear of the faucet body, a port50 for receiving a vent valve 52, a port 54 for receiving the powercable 18, a port 56 for receiving the solenoid 44 and forming part ofthe second compartment 42, and first and second water ports 58 and 60for connecting to the hot and cold water lines via the connectors 14.The port 54 is in communication with the first compartment 40 allowingthe power cable 18 to extend through the port 54 and into the firstcompartment 40 to provide power to the system. The first and secondwater ports 58 and 60 are aligned with corresponding openings 62 and 64in the rear cover 24 and the gasket 32, and the connectors 14 extendinto the recessed area 34 and the ports 58 and 60 via the openings 62and 64. The faucet body 20 also includes a pair of openings 66 at thebottom rear of the faucet body 20 that align with corresponding openings68 at the bottom of the rear cover 24 for receiving fasteners 70, suchas set screws that are received in grooves 72 in the respectiveconnectors 14 to attach the faucet 10 to the structure 12.

Referring additionally to FIG. 5 , the first compartment 40 will bedescribed in detail. The first compartment 40 houses at least onecontrol board. The at least one control board can include a singlecontrol board sized to fit within the first compartment or multiplecontrol boards coupled together in any suitable manner, for example bywires, printed circuit board material, etc. For purposes of discussion,the first compartment will be described as including a control boardsuch as a faucet printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 80 and a controlboard such as an optical PCBA 82. The first compartment 40 also includesone or more sensors 84, such as an IR sensor attached to the opticalPCBA 82, and an optical baffle 86 covering the IR sensor 84. The firstcompartment 40 is a recessed area at the bottom of the faucet body 20that provides for all of the electrical components to be housed withinthe faucet 10. The faucet PCBA 80 is connected to the optical PCBA 82 bysuitable wires, which may be connected to the PCBAs in any suitablemanner. Also attached to the faucet PCBA 80 is a connector (not shown)that receives a corresponding connector 88, such as a picobladereceptacle, that is connected to wires that are connected to thesolenoid 44 allowing the solenoid 44 to communicate with the faucet PCBA80. The faucet PCBA 80 is also attached to a connector (not shown) thatreceives a corresponding connector 90, such as a microclasp housing,that is connected to the cable 18. The power cable 18 may have aconnector 92 at its opposite end for connecting to a power source, whichmay be an electrical connection to the aircraft and/or one or morebatteries to provide power to the faucet 10.

The faucet PCBA 80 is positioned in the first compartment 40 rearward ofthe aerator 46, and the optical PCBA 82 is positioned in the firstcompartment 40 forward of the aerator 46. The faucet PCBA 80 includes anopening 100 through which a projection 102 in the first compartment 40extends, and openings 104 for receiving suitable fasteners. Theprojection 102 is configured to receive one of the fasteners 26 thatsecure the bottom cover 22 to the faucet body 20. The faucet PCBA 80 maybe secured in the first compartment 40 in a suitable manner, such as byfasteners 106 surrounded by washer 108 that are received in the openings104. Similarly, the optical PCBA 82 and the optical baffle 86 may besecured in the first compartment 40 in a suitable manner, such as by afastener 110 received in corresponding openings 112 and 114 in theoptical PCBA 82 and the optical baffle 86 respectively.

The first compartment 40 is closed by the bottom cover 22, which issecured by the fasteners 26. The bottom cover 22 includes an openingthat receives an IR lens 116, and an opening 118 through which theaerator 46 extends. The IR lens 116 is provided to filter out visiblelight an only allow for infrared light.

Referring additionally to FIG. 6 , the second compartment 42 andcomponents therein will be described in detail. The second compartment42 includes the port 56 that receives the solenoid 44, a port 130 thatreceives the aerator 46, and a flow passage 132 between the port 56 andthe port 130. The second compartment 42 provides for all of the fluidcomponents to be housed within the faucet 10. The solenoid 44 isreceived in the port 56 and sealed thereto by a suitable seals, such asO-rings 134 and 136 received in respective seal grooves, and the aeratoris sealed to the port 130 by the seal 48. A front shoulder 138 of thesolenoid 44 forms with a wall 140 of the port 56 a mixing chamber 142between the seals 134 and 136 for receiving hot and cold water andmixing the water to a uniform temperature prior to the water flowinginto the solenoid 44. The hot and cold water is delivered through waterlines connected to the connectors 14, which travels through ports 58 and60 and through passages 144, one of which is shown in FIG. 6 , into themixing chamber 142.

The solenoid 44 includes one or more inlets 146, and as shown two inlets146 that receive the mixed water when opened, and the water flowsthrough the solenoid 44 and exits the solenoid 44 at outlet 148 when thesolenoid is opened. The outlet 148 is downstream of the mixing chamber.The water exiting the solenoid 44 via outlet 148 flows through thepassage 132 to the port 130 where the water exits the faucet 10 via theaerator 46. As shown, the passage 132 extends substantially in ahorizontal direction to receive the fluid from the outlet 148 and theport 130 is substantially in a vertical direction to receive the fluidfrom the passage 132.

Turning additionally to FIGS. 7 and 8 , the vent valve 52 will bedescribed in detail. The vent valve 52 allows for the faucet 10 to beself-venting. The vent valve 52 includes a valve body 160 having aninlet 162, an internal cavity 164 in communication with the inlet 162,an outlet 166 in communication with the internal cavity 164, and a ball168 disposed in the internal cavity 164 and seated against a suitableseal 170, such as an O-ring, when the aircraft is pressurized to sealagainst the outlet 166. The vent valve 52 is received in the port 50 andsealed thereto by suitable seals, such as O-rings 172 and 174 receivedin respective seal grooves to allow for fluid flow between a wall of theport 50 and an outer surface of the body 160 of the vent valve 52between the seals 172 and 174.

The vent valve 52 is in communication with the water supply and thesecond compartment 42. For example, the faucet body 20 includes apassage 176 between the water port 58 and the port 50 for the vent valve52 to allow for communication between the water lines via theirconnection through the second compartment 42 and the inlet of the ventvalve 52, and a passage 178 between the second compartment 42 and theport 50 to allow for communication between the aerator 46 and the outlet166 of the vent valve.

When the faucet 10 is installed and the water lines turned on, thepressure entering the port 50 via the passage 176 will cause the ball168 to move against the seal 170 to seal off the outlet 166. When thereis a drop in system pressure, for example when the aircraft is groundedand the system is being drained, the pressure is no longer acting on theball 168 and the ball 168 unseats from the seal 170. Air can then flowfrom the aerator 46 through the passage 178 and into the vent valve 52to push the water in the supply lines back to the supply.

Turning now to the operation of the faucet 10, the IR sensor 84 servesas the primary activation method for the faucet 10. When a user placestheir hands under the faucet 10, the IR sensor 84 detects the presenceof the user's hands, and the optical PCBA 82 communicates the detectionof the user's hands to the faucet PCBA 80. The faucet PCBA 80 thencommunicates the detection of the user's hands to the solenoid 44,causing the solenoid 44 to open. The water in the mixing chamber 142then enters the solenoid 44 via the inlets 146, flows through the bodyof the solenoid 44, and then exist the solenoid 44 via the outlet 148.The water then flows along the flow passage 132 to the port 130 thatacts as a flow passage, where the water exits the faucet 10 via theaerator 46.

The faucet 10 can also include a secondary activation method, which canbe used in case the IR sensor 84 has failed or in place of the IR sensor84. For example, the faucet 10 can include a faceplate 180 attached tothe front of the faucet body 20. The faceplate 180 is a capacitivesensor, or is otherwise connected to a capacitive sensor, that isconnected to the faucet PCBA 80 by suitable wires. The faceplate 180 mayinclude a suitable icon 182, such as a water drop with a transmissionsymbol below it. The user can activate the faucet 10 to initiate a flowof water by touching the icon 182, which may light up upon touch toindicate operation and/or may change color if already lit up to indicateoperation. In an embodiment, when activated by the capacitive sensor180, the faucet 10 may be designed with an adjustable timing parameterthat deactivates the faucet after a predetermined time.

In another embodiment, for example when the faucet 10 is activated by auser pressing the icon 182 but when the IR sensor 84 is operational, thepressing of the icon 182 will activate the faucet 10 to initiate theflow of water. The timing function will then be handed off to the IRsensor 84 upon the IR sensor 84 sensing the presence of the user'shands. The IR sensor will then make the primary determination of timingof water flow, for example by deactivating the faucet when the user'shands are removed.

Turning now to FIG. 9 , an exemplary embodiment of the faucet is shownat 210. The faucet 210 is substantially the same as the above-referencedfaucet 10, and consequently the same reference numerals but indexed by200 are used to denote structures corresponding to similar structures inthe faucets. In addition, the foregoing description of the faucet 10 isequally applicable to the faucet 210 except as noted below.

The faucet 210 includes a faucet body 220, a bottom cover 222 attachedto a bottom of the faucet body 220, and a rear cover 224 attached to arear of the faucet body 20. The bottom cover 222 and rear cover 224 maybe attached to the faucet body in a suitable manner, for example byfasteners 226 and 228 respectively received in respective openings. Thebottom cover 222 may be sealed to the faucet body 220 in a suitablemanner, for example by a gasket 230, and the rear cover 224 may besealed to the structure in a suitable manner, for example by gasket 232.A grommet 236 may be received in openings in the rear cover 224 and thegasket 232 that surrounds a cable 218.

The faucet body 220 receives a solenoid 244 that is activated to deliverwater, for example at a uniform temperature to an aerator 246, and avent valve 252. The aerator 246 is attached to the underside of thefaucet body 220 and sealed in a suitable manner, such as by an O-ring248.

The faucet body includes a first compartment 240 including a controlboard such as a PCBA 280 and a control board such as an optical PCBA282. The first compartment 240 also includes one or more sensors 284,such as an IR sensor attached to the optical PCBA 282, and an opticalbaffle 286 covering the IR sensor 284. The faucet PCBA 280 is attachedto a connector (not shown) that receives a corresponding connector 290,such as a microclasp housing, that is connected to the cable 218. Thepower cable 218 may terminate at pins 292 at its opposite end allowingan end user to select a desired connector for connecting to a powersource and to allow for use with smaller openings in the structure.

The aforementioned systems, components, (e.g., faucet, sensors, amongothers), and the like have been described with respect to interactionbetween several components and/or elements. It should be appreciatedthat such devices and elements can include those elements orsub-elements specified therein, some of the specified elements orsub-elements, and/or additional elements. Further yet, one or moreelements and/or sub-elements may be combined into a single component toprovide aggregate functionality. The elements may also interact with oneor more other elements not specifically described herein.

In the specification and claims, reference will be made to a number ofterms that have the following meanings. The singular forms “a”, “an” and“the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictatesotherwise. Approximating language, as used herein throughout thespecification and claims, may be applied to modify a quantitativerepresentation that could permissibly vary without resulting in a changein the basic function to which it is related. Accordingly, a valuemodified by a term such as “about” is not to be limited to the precisevalue specified. In some instances, the approximating language maycorrespond to the precision of an instrument for measuring the value.Moreover, unless specifically stated otherwise, a use of the terms“first,” “second,” etc., do not denote an order or importance, butrather the terms “first,” “second,” etc., are used to distinguish oneelement from another.

Although certain embodiments have been shown and described, it isunderstood that equivalents and modifications falling within the scopeof the appended claims will occur to others who are skilled in the artupon the reading and understanding of this specification.

What is claimed is:
 1. A touchless faucet comprising: a faucet bodyhaving a first compartment and a second compartment, the secondcompartment having first and second water ports at a rear of the faucetbody for coupling to respective water lines to couple the faucet to apanel or wall; at least one control board disposed in the firstcompartment; an IR sensor disposed in the first compartment andcommunicatively coupled to the at least one control board; and asolenoid disposed in the second compartment and communicatively coupledto the at least one control board, the solenoid having an inlet forreceiving fluid from a mixing chamber formed in the second compartmentand an outlet for delivering the fluid from the mixing chamber to anaerator, wherein the IR sensor is configured to sense a presence of auser, which is communicated to the at least one control board, and theat least one control board is configured to communicate the presence tothe solenoid to open the solenoid to allow fluid flow through the secondcompartment to the aerator.
 2. The touchless faucet according to claim1, further comprising a capacitive sensor coupled to a front of thefaucet body and communicatively coupled to the at least one controlboard, wherein the faucet is configured to be activated by the IR sensoror the capacitive sensor.
 3. The touchless faucet according to claim 1,further comprising a bottom cover coupled to a bottom of the faucet bodyto close the first compartment, and a rear cover coupled to the rear ofthe faucet body to hold the solenoid in position in the secondcompartment.
 4. The touchless faucet according to claim 3, wherein therear cover is received in a recessed area at the rear of the faucet bodyand is substantially flush with the rear of the faucet body.
 5. Thetouchless faucet according to claim 1, wherein the faucet body includesa first port at a rear of the faucet body for receiving a vent valve,and a second port at the rear of the faucet body for receiving thesolenoid.
 6. The touchless faucet according to claim 5, wherein thesecond port is in fluidic communication with first and second waterports to receive the fluid in the mixing chamber.
 7. The touchlessfaucet according to claim 5, further comprising a fifth port at the rearof the faucet body for receiving a power cable, wherein the power cableis configured to extend through the fifth portion into the firstcompartment to connect to the at least one control board.
 8. Thetouchless faucet according to claim 5, further comprising the vent valvepositioned in the first port, the vent valve including a valve bodyhaving an inlet, an internal cavity in communication with the inlet, anoutlet in communication with the internal cavity, and a ball disposed inthe internal cavity to close the outlet when pressurized.
 9. Thetouchless faucet according to claim 8, wherein the faucet body includesa first vent passage connecting the first port with at least one of thefirst and second water ports, and a second vent passage connecting thefirst port with a flow passage in the second compartment in fluidiccommunication with the aerator.
 10. The touchless faucet according toclaim 1, further comprising a rear cover received in a recessed area ata rear of the faucet body and coupled to the rear of the faucet body tohold the solenoid in position in the second compartment.
 11. Thetouchless faucet according to claim 10, wherein the faucet body includesa first port in the recessed area for receiving a vent valve, a secondport in the recessed area for receiving the solenoid, and third andfourth ports in the recessed area for connecting to fluid lines.
 12. Thetouchless faucet according to claim 1, wherein the at least one controlboard includes a first control board and a second control board, wherethe solenoid is communicatively coupled to the first control board andthe IR sensor is communicatively coupled to the second control board.13. The touchless faucet according to claim 12, wherein the firstcontrol board is positioned in the first compartment rearward of theaerator, and the second control board is positioned in the firstcompartment forward of the aerator.
 14. A touchless faucet comprising: afaucet body having a first compartment and a second compartment, thesecond compartment having a mixing chamber for mixing fluid and a flowpassage; an aerator coupled to the faucet body at a bottom of the faucetbody and configured to receive fluid from the flow passage; a controlboard disposed in the first compartment; a solenoid disposed in thesecond compartment and communicatively coupled to the control board, thesolenoid having an inlet for receiving fluid from the mixing chamber andan outlet for delivering the fluid from the mixing chamber to the flowpassage; an IR sensor disposed in the first compartment for sensing apresence of a user below the faucet body; and a capacitive sensorcoupled to a front of the faucet body and communicatively coupled to thecontrol board, wherein the faucet includes a first activation mode wherethe faucet is activated by the IR sensor sensing the presence of theuser and a second activation mode where the faucet is activated by thecapacitive sensor sensing contact by the user.
 15. The touchless faucetaccording to claim 14, further comprising a second control board,wherein the second control board is communicatively coupled to thecontrol board, and wherein the IR sensor is communicatively coupled tothe second control board.
 16. The touchless faucet according to claim14, wherein during the first activation mode, the faucet operates untilthe presence of the user is no longer detected, and in the secondactivation mode, the faucet operates for a predetermined amount of time.17. A touchless faucet comprising: a faucet body having a firstcompartment and a second compartment; at least one control boarddisposed in the first compartment; an IR sensor disposed in the firstcompartment and communicatively coupled to the at least one controlboard; a solenoid disposed in the second compartment and communicativelycoupled to the at least one control board; a rear cover coupled to arear of the faucet body to hold the solenoid in position in the secondcompartment, the rear cover being received in a recessed area at therear of the faucet body and being substantially flush with the rear ofthe faucet body, wherein the IR sensor is configured to sense a presenceof a user, which is communicated to the at least one control board, andthe at least one control board is configured to communicate the presenceto the solenoid to open the solenoid to allow fluid flow through thesecond compartment to an aerator.